No. 3 Sabatini zipped through the first set, dominating baseline and net. Whatever she tried worked, and she tried everything. "I think I was playing perfect tennis until 5-2" of the second set, she said.

Twice she served for the match -- and even had a match point, only to lose it on a net cord.

Then Novotana won five straight games to tie at a set apiece.

They traded breaks to begin the third set, and again in the fifth and sixth games. With Sabatini serving at 4-5, Novotna won the first three points, giving her triple match point. But Sabatini won the next five points to hold. In the 12th game, Novotna had a fourth match point. Again Sabatini held. Sabatini took a 5-2 lead in the tiebreaker en route to the win.

"Suddenly, in a match I was very much down and I didn't expect much, I had three match points," Novotna said. "I was a ball away from the match. . . . I should have won it."

Martina Navratilova had arthroscopic surgery on both knees today in Vail, Colo., and faces six to eight weeks rehabilitiation.